The private toll road to nowhere

The House and Senate approved a bill to continue five state agencies that would’ve otherwise expired. That goes to the governor.

The House also approved a bill to allow the state to issue $2 billion in bonds for transportation projects.

The third item that Gov. Rick Perry called lawmakers back to town to address – extending authorization for the state and regional mobility authorities to enter into comprehensive development agreements for privately run toll roads – is stick-a-fork-in-it done after a big pushback, several lawmakers said.

Lawmakers allowed the comprehensive development agreements in 2003 but later put a moratorium on new ones in the face of critics who contended the state was selling public assets. The general ability for TxDOT and regional authorities to enter into agreements expires this year, along with the moratorium. Some specific deals are authorized until 2011.

Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, had pushed to continue the authority with specific safeguards to ensure local control and taxpayer protection. But that has failed to gain traction, as has a scaled-back version.

“If we’re not going to fix it, in my opinion, it would be better to do nothing,” Nichols said.